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Police held for drag death of taxi driver

Shabtai Gold, Johannesburg

Death in custody: Mozambican national Mido Macia, with his sister Melida. Photo: Reuters

EIGHT police officers have been arrested and will face murder charges over their involvement in the death of a suspect who was tied to the back of a police vehicle and dragged.

The incident highlighted concerns about violence and abuse of power within the South African police and could pose a problem for a force battling to gain the trust of citizens in a country with a high crime rate.

Moses Dlamini, a spokesman for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, the body in charge of monitoring the police, said on Friday the men would appear in a magistrates court on Monday. The officers were earlier suspended and disarmed by South Africa's police chief.

The officers were caught on mobile phone cameras dragging Mozambican national Mido Macia, a 27-year-old taxi driver, behind their vehicle while driving at full speed. The man later died of head injuries and internal wounds while in police custody.

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''We view this incident in a serious light and we would want to see stern action taken against those involved,'' Police Minister Siyabonga Cwele said. ''We want stern action so that it may send a message to other officers that any untoward conduct will not be tolerated.''

The incident occurred Tuesday in Daveyton, east of Johannesburg, and apparently was sparked by an argument about Mr Macia parking on the wrong side of the road.

National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega also removed the head of the local Daveyton police from his post.

Ms Phiyega said she was ''outraged'' and ordered an internal investigation to be headed by her own office. The IPID launched a separate investigation that led to the officers' arrests.

''The incident does not reflect the conduct and practice of the South African police service in a democratic South Africa. We regret this incident. We do not accept this type of practice,'' she told a press conference.

Analysts say abuses within the police force are widespread. Hundreds of people die each year in police custody, many as a result of violence. Dozens of cases of torture are reported annually.

The newspaper that released the footage, the Daily Sun, quoted witnesses as saying Mr Macia was beaten by police at the scene and also at the Daveyton station.

President Jacob Zuma weighed in on the footage, saying: ''The visuals of the incident are horrific, disturbing and unacceptable. No human being should be treated in that manner.''

The South African police have been in the spotlight recently over excessive use of force, including during their crackdown on wildcat strikers last year, when 34 miners were shot to death by officers at the Marikana platinum mine. A commission of inquiry into the events at Marikana is expected to release a report in June.

The South African Human Rights Commission has warned of illegal deaths in police custody and has called for those involved in Mr Macia's death ''to be brought to book''.

The police have acknowledged that officers need better and longer training so they can properly handle violent situations.